Father's world on shutdown - DNA test required to identify drowned boy

Having suffered the heartbreak of losing his son in a tragic manner this summer, Jermaine Jones is now being told that he would not get a chance to see the remains of his five-year-old boy, Jace.

The younger Jones died last month after he fell off a raft into the Martha Brae River in Trelawny. The raft captain, Llewellyn Reid, also died.

Their bodies were found three days after the incident, and the elder Jones is livid that he was denied the opportunity to gain closure as he was not allowed to see his son.

"They say it was decomposed. I need the authorities to address that," said Jermaine Jones, who added that a thanksgiving service was held for the boy on Saturday.

"My whole world is on shutdown. Only the power of Almighty God is keeping me sane. I have projects working on which employ electricians. I was there when the body was removed from the water and it was not decomposed. Now it is so bad, I have to do a DNA," he said.

The results of the DNA test are due today, after which the body is expected to be released to the family.

"Everything has been sad from every direction," Jermaine Jones said.

Calvin Lyn, whose Lyn's Funeral Home took the body from Martha Brae River, told The STAR that "The body was kept the best we could".

"The body was in the water for long. I didn't see it because it was locked away when it came for storage," Lyn said.

He said the body was taken to Spanish Town, St Catherine, last week where the Ministry of National Security forensic unit arranged for the autopsy to be done. However, with the father being unable to identify the body, DNA test would be required before the post-mortem is done.